That time of year again

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Reminiscing!

Well, it's that time of year again when I'm usually on a trip. This year, due to the economy, I'm stuck with reminiscing (Anyone care to take a gorgeous Abbotsford home off my hands at below market value?) But what a happy time it is, thinking back of several adventures.


Namibia.
A year ago today, I was in extreme agony in Swakopmund, Namibia. Earlier in the day, I'd gone out on a guided quad-biking adventure on the massive sand dunes of the Namib desert. A malfunction near the end of the ride (rider error) flipped my bike and I ended up in the Swakopmund clinic. The extreme pain caused minimal sleep that night, but two days later I left with the group to continue my fantastic African adventure with Dragoman. You can read all about it in my earlier blogs.


Everest.
Three years ago today I was in Kathmandu, Nepal, preparing for our trek to Everest Base Camp, a trip inspired by the annual May Everest summits of higher level climbers. That was the #1 item on my "bucket list." What a fantastic experience! On this day in 2007, our team toured the "Monkey Palace" (Hindu Temple) and one of the largest Buddhist Temples before going to the tourist district (Thamel), to pick up supplies for the trek that would begin the next morning.

At this time of year, I keenly follow the teams climbing Everest. For those interested, the best site is [e-mail]. Click on 2010 coverage. fir those who haven't read "Into Thin Air," I highly recommend it; I've read it probably 5 or 6 times, and it was the start of my Everest aspirations. You might also be interested in "Dark Summit."


This year.
So far, my only real adventure of 2010 was attending several days at the Olympics. I chose not to blog about this, since it was basically local. It was, however, an incredible experience, especially for a Canadian! In many ways it redefined our country, which was often considered to have little spirit and little national identity or pride. Well, that sure changed. Not only did we win the most gold medals by any country ever at a Winter Olympics, but the spirit of hundreds of thousands of people in the streets partying, without trouble, was amazing! I attended a women's hockey game (Canada 18, Slovakia 0), and a full day of curling with both the Canadian men's and women's teams winning, and a victory ceremony that included a Canadian gold medal presentation, as well as spending time downtown.


Next up.
At this time I'm preparing to climb Mt. Whitney in California at the end of May with a large group that includes my wife and cousin from here, a brother and his kids from California, and others. Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the continental U.S. at 14,494 ft (4418m). I climbed it in 2007, six weeks after returning from Everest. The biggest challenge of Whitney is elevation. Last time it was extremely tough for me, even though I presumably had about half my altitude acclimatization remaining in my blood from having done Everest Base Camp and Kala Patar. Right now we're awaiting confirmation that we will get the permits to climb it (only 100 summiters are allowed per day).


Travel Shows.
This year Trek Escapes did not do their annual "World-in-a-weekend" show because of the Olympics. They indicated they might do something later in the year. So far, I haven't heard anything more, but will post it when I here. In the meantime, happy traveling to you, and don't forget to check out Alan Arnette's site.

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Photos

Summit of Goyko Ri
Mt. Everest in the background

Olympic flame
symbol of a fantastic experience

Dead Vlei, Namibia
One of the remotest places on earth